Sunday, July 22, 2007

design star starts tonight

And Linda Merrill at Chameleon Interiors is blogging! So we are going to get some informed commentary. She already has her first post up and it looks like the second season contestants have been given much nicer digs than last year:

Design Star vs Top DesignThere were ways that I enjoyed Design Star more than Top Design. While there is no substitute for Todd Oldham (be still my heart), Clive is a fine host, and the judges lacked some of the pretentiousness of the TD judges. (That was what I liked about Todd, is his lack of pretentiousness...but he was the exception to the rule.)

The contestents on Top Design were stronger and more professional and TD had bigger budgets. However, they weren't always more imaginative than Design Star. At least with Design Star the contestants got out of those white boxes!!!

Plus the amateurism of the DS contestants made the show more amusing. Who can forget that woman who seemed like a crazy homeless person who just picked up trash on the street. I still suspect that she just wandered into the set and they let her stay for the first episode.

Note: Linda Merrill's first "sneak peak" post has a good discussion of the problems with the first season of Design Star. Color SplashI have to say that the biggest disappointment with Design Star was the show (Color Splash) that they created for the winner, David Bromstad. Even though David was the obvious winner and he was great on the competition show, I thought the show they created for him was unwatchable. Furthermore, I was surprised by how much he annoyed the bejesus out of me on his own show. Everyone -- but especially David -- was insanely peppy and excited about everything. It was ridiculous. There is a difference between being warm and enthusiastic and looking like a friggin' moron.

The work David did on the competition seemed a lot more innovative than what he did on the show. I think on the show he was restrained by having to use products from certain stores.Also his color palettes were rich but not interesting. Sometimes they were just dark. They seemed really traditional, especially after seeing what designers like Matt did with color on Top Design (for example -- my top ten list). The entire show was too too tooo much. It needed to be toned down a notch. Or two. Or ten.

And oh my. I just gave this a perusal and it looks like it could be fun ... perhaps even hilarious (wait for it ... below).

First of all, they have gone to central casting and found their stereotypical southern belle, aged 30, with a high school education, who has lived out her childhood dream "to marry my Prince Charming and have children."

Ain't she sweet

Judging from her interview we can expect pearls of wisdom to fall from her lips.

5 comments:

I deleted that comment. Sorry. I couldn't let such poor writing sit on the ether.

After seeing last night's show, I can't wait either, Trixie. Between your comments and Linda's I shall be in design heaven. I might occasionally comment about the show on my blog but only to snark.

First, your insights about the show are spot on and I agree with most of them. However, I rather liked that the first season of Design Star had a chintzy budget. Doesn't most of middle America have to scrape and save? Isn't this the target audience for HGTV?

Lil' Miss Southern's accent is already grating on me and I live in the South! Hers is a particularly little girlish voice. Eww. As for our bare chested hunk: Oh, isn't life splendid? He looks like one of those Neanderthal heroes on the cover of a bodice ripper novel, and to think he's an interior decorator.

As for the judges, I simply adore Vern Yip and look forward to his weekly assessments. So, let the fun (and games) begin!

Oh, and yeah, David's show is nearly unwatchable. Too bad. While he's a likable personality, there's a reason why saccharine is added only in small portions.

Inexplicably, "Color Splash" has been renewed for two more seasons. That show is such a disappointment it should've been painted over a long time ago. And the new "Design Star"? Can somebody say to everyone involved in the production "THIS show has been cancelled"?